The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is gearing up for the 2024 Best Players Award ceremony scheduled for Marrakech, Morocco, on December 16, 2024.
Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman is the favourite nominee to pick up the main category: the Men's Player of the Year Award after a remarkable season for club and country.
Lookman is the favourite to win, not the handpicked winner, as the ceremony had witnessed some controversial rulings where the favourite did not win.
Let's look at the three biggest controversies at the award involving Nigerian internationals.
1998: Mustapha Hadji vs Jay-Jay Okocha
Super Eagles legend Austin Jay-Jay Okocha lost the 1998 African Footballer of the Year Award to Moroccoโs Mustapha Hadji by a margin of two points.
The award raised eyebrows as many saw the Nigerian trickster as the deserved winner.
As noted by Sports Brief, then CAF Secretary General Moustapha Fahmy claimed Nigeria's absence at the 1998 AFCON in Burkina Faso may have cost JJ the victory.
1999: Nwankwo Kanu vs Sammy Kuffour
To this day, Ghanaian football legend Sammy Kuffour feels cheated for not winning the 1999 award, which Nwankwo Kanu won.
Kuffour had a brilliant year with Bayern Munich narrowly missing winning all possible trophies after losing the UEFA Champions League final to Manchester United. It was Kanuโs second victory, having also won in 1996.
2013: Mikel Obi vs Yaya Toure
Mikel was the favourite for the 2013 award but eventually lost it to Ivorian midfielder Yaya Toure and finished second.
The Chelsea legend claimed on Dubai Eye podcast in 2023 that he was told he had won it before the ceremony, which was held in Nigeria.
"I got robbed of the African Footballer of The Year Award. Before I went, I was told I won it"
— @๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐ท๐ผ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐๐๐ฏ๐ผ๐ (@OneJoblessBoy) February 16, 2023
- John Mikel Obi pic.twitter.com/BcYwaCOjlA
